Rancher's Days

My Dad has been a rancher now for many years. At a young age my Dad fell in love with ranching. He had three Uncles that had either cattle ranches or a sheep ranch. He learned at the side of the best. His Uncle Sid, Floyd, and Eugene. He still gets out there and does everything that is required to run a ranch. Summer days go from sun up to sun down.
My Dad spends many hours in a swather. The one thing he hates the most though is when the hay is so thick which is was this summer and the swather plugs up. Then the troops (his kids and grandkids) come and work to get it back and going.

In these two pictures he is up on the hill ground putting out the salt and checking on the cattle.

Every summer the sprinkler systems have to be put into working order.

The spring branding takes many hands to get the task accomplished.

A rancher is always at home on a horse.

Maintenance is a crucial key to maintaining a ranch.

Dad is working on restoring the old cowbarn

Of course the volunteer worker (who is an engineer was needed to make the details work out!!)

Ranching is a way of life that is slowly becoming extinct with the price of land, fuel cost, machinery costs and the up and down of the cattle market.

Ranching is a part of my heritage, and what a great heritage it is. We learned to work from sun up to sun down. We spent many hours as a family changing pipes, rounding up cattle, working in the hay fields, salting cattle, and branding. It is a great life and gets into your blood. We were very fortunate as kids to have lived this life everyday. My Dad has also passed that love for the ranch life to his grandchildren. THANKS DAD!!! What a legacy you have passed on.